Several trans-azobenzene derivatives carrying a nitroxide (aminoxyl) radical (2a, 6a-12a) were prepared, and their photoisomerization reactions to the corresponding cis-isomers were investigated. Although no fruitful results could be obtained for the photoisomerizations of the derivatives with para-subsituents (9a-12a), the unsubstututed derivatives at the para-position (2a, 6a, 7a, 8a) were found to show photoisomerizations by irradiation to give the corresponding cis-isomers (2b, 6b, 7b, 8b), being isolated as relatively stable solid materials, and the change of the intermolecular magnetic interactions was apparently observed by the structural change for each photochromic couple.

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A trans-azobenzene derivative with a long alkyl chain and a TEMPO radical showed photo-induced isomerization to become the corresponding cis-isomer with a significant change of its intermolecular magnetic interaction from a weak ferromagnetic one based on the CW model to a relatively strong antiferromagnetic one based on the ST model with the J-value of 36.7 K.

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